Murtha, Putnam PACs Pitch in Early to Aid Colleagues’ Campaigns

The 2008 general elections for the Senate and the House still are more than a year and a half away, but members in Congress who have “leadership” political action committees (PACs) already are making their mark in the campaign finance arena — mainly by contributing to the treasuries of partisan colleagues who might face difficult re-election contests in 2008.

That is a finding of a CQPolitics.com analysis of campaign finance reports for the first quarter of the year, ending March 31, that have been filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Most of these reports are not due until April 15, but several “leadership PACs” have beaten the deadline. (Some leadership PACs file on a monthly basis and submit campaign reports by the 20th of each month).

One prominent member whose leadership PAC got a jump on the filing deadline is Florida Republican Rep. Adam Putnam. He is the recently installed chairman of the House Republican Conference, the third-ranking position in the GOP minority.

Another is Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John P. Murtha, a vigorous opponent of the Iraq war, confidant of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and a 33-year House veteran who heads the Appropriations Committee panel that oversees defense spending.

Putnam’s RED PAC — the name refers to the color of the congressman’s hair, and also to the hue frequently used to designate states and districts that favor Republicans — reported giving $27,500 to Republican candidates in March: $2,500 apiece to 11 House members who could face challenging re-election campaigns next year.

All of the recipients were narrowly elected or re-elected last year. The 2006 vote shares of these 11 members range from the 49.1 percent received by Rep. John T. Doolittle in California’s 4th District to the 52.2 percent taken by Rep. Steve Chabot in Ohio’s 1st.

Some of the Republican donees already have Democratic challengers for 2008 who have been planning bids for months. They include two from Ohio: Chabot, whose likely 2008 Democratic opponent in his Cincinnati-centered district is state Rep. Steve Driehaus; and Deborah Pryce of the Columbus-based 15th District, who will either face a rematch with county commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (whom Pryce beat by fewer than 1,100 votes in 2006) or a contest against Paula Brooks, another county commissioner.

The recipients of Putnam’s PAC money included three of the eight House Republicans who represent districts that President Bush did not carry in 2004: Dave Reichert of Washington’s 8th District, which is in suburban Seattle; Heather A. Wilson of New Mexico’s 1st, which is anchored by Albuquerque; and Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania’s 6th, whose district takes in suburbs and exurbs of Philadelphia.

One current freshman received a contribution: Illinois Rep. Peter Roskam, who was narrowly elected in 2006 over Democrat Tammy Duckworth, a disabled Iraq war veteran, to succeed veteran Republican Rep. Henry J. Hyde in the 6th District near Chicago.

The list of Putnam PAC recipients is rounded out by Robin Hayes of North Carolina’s 8th, Joe Knollenberg of Michigan’s 9th, Jon Porter in Nevada’s 3rd and Rick Renzi of Arizona’s 1st.

Murtha’s committee, Majority PAC, gave $47,500 to federal candidates in the first three months of this year, including $5,000 apiece to four Pennsylvania Democrats who unseated Republican incumbents in the 2006 election: Jason Altmire in the Pittsburgh-area 4th District; Joe Sestak in the 7th District in suburban Philadelphia; Patrick J. Murphy, whose 8th District also takes in suburbs of Philadelphia; and Christopher Carney in the northeastern 10th District, the most Republican-leaning district in this quartet.

Unlike Putnam’s committee, Murtha’s PAC last month did not give exclusively to members of Congress who could face tough re-election campaigns next year. Rather, the PAC gave to three politically “safe” Democrats who sit with Murtha on the Appropriations Defense panel: Sanford D. Bishop Jr. of Georgia, Allen Boyd of Florida and Robert E. “Bud” Cramer of Alabama. Bishop received 68 percent of the vote last year, and Boyd and Cramer did not even have Republican opposition.

Murtha’s PAC also donated to Mississippi Rep. Gene Taylor, a conservative Democrat who also is closely identified with military issues and consistently wins easy victories in his otherwise Republican-leaning district.

There are, however, recipients of Murtha PAC money who might face tough competition next year. They include two freshman members of the House Armed Services Committee: Dave Loebsack, who upset veteran Republican Rep. Jim Leach in Iowa’s 2nd District, and Joe Courtney, who narrowly defeated Republican Rep. Rob Simmons in eastern Connecticut’s 2nd District.